VHP again pushes for Ayodhya Ram temple issue on Singhal’s birthday.

New Delhi: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat looks on as Swami Satyamitranand felicitates VHP President Shri Ashok Singhal during launch of the book “Hinduttva ke Purodha” on his life, in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo.

Shri Ashok Singhal attains 89. VHP pushes the Ayodhya Ram Temple issue again. But, is it possible to see the Ramjanmabhumi Temple by Shri Singhal in his lifetime?

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and several Union ministers, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, were present when the suggestion was made by former VHP president Vishnu Hari Dalmia at an event where a book named; “Hinduttva ke Purodha” on the life of VHP patron Singhal was released.

Singhal had played a key role in the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’ movement that led to the demolition of Babri mosque in 1992 by Hindutva activists and construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site has been a long-standing demand of the right wing outfits.

VHP leader Ashok Singhal being felicitated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (second right) and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh (right) on his 90th birthday at a function in New Delhi on Thursday. — Photo: Shanker Chakravarty . Courtesy: The Hindu.

BJP has also supported the demand for a Ram temple, but contended it will do so by exploring all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution. The matter is under Supreme Court’s scrutiny.

“There is a tradition of giving gift to people on their birthday. I will tell Prime Minister Modi to gift him (Singhal) him temple. Rajnathji is here and he can convey this to Modi,” Dalmiya said amid cheers by RSS and VHP activists.

However, all other speakers, including Bhagwat, Singh and Singhal, made no mention of the controversial issue.

Singh said if there was any pioneer of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, it was Singhal.

“There is this ancient belief that Hindutva is a way of life and a humane religion. Ashok Singhal is a firm believer in this. He has become an institution,” Singh said, noting though many people did not agree with Singhal’s views.

Bhagwat said Singhal devoted his life to the country and Hindu religion. He had his opinion on issues but he always gave primacy to organisational discipline, the RSS chief said, hailing him and asked others to follow his path.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on his part said post-Independence India had seen two major movements: first, the anti-corruption movement in the 1970s whose hero was Jaya Prakash Narayan, and the second, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, whose hero was Mr. Singhal.

But, it now seems Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal has little hope a Ram Temple will be constructed in Ayodhya anytime soon. When his supporters celebrated his 89th birthday in New Delhi on Thursday, neither he, nor RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat nor Home Minister Rajnath Singh mentioned the issue. While Narendra Modi government has already put the three most controversial issues of the Sangh Pariwar — the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution and Common Civil Code — in the cold storage, Singhal is said to be getting impatient.